Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Sells 123 Shares of Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC)

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC cut its holdings in Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,354 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 123 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC’s holdings in Vulcan Materials were worth $1,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $30,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $35,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 240.4% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 160 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Vulcan Materials in the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Vulcan Materials by 138.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on VMC. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vulcan Materials from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vulcan Materials from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vulcan Materials from $298.00 to $295.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vulcan Materials has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $301.18.

Vulcan Materials Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VMC opened at $272.34 on Wednesday. Vulcan Materials has a 1 year low of $225.36 and a 1 year high of $298.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.86 and a quick ratio of 2.02. The company’s 50-day moving average is $267.43 and its 200 day moving average is $261.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.84.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE:VMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The construction company reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.41. Vulcan Materials had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 11.88%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vulcan Materials will post 7.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Vulcan Materials Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Vulcan Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Vulcan Materials’s dividend payout ratio is 29.02%.

About Vulcan Materials

Vulcan Materials Company, together with its subsidiaries, produces and supplies construction aggregates primarily in the United States. It operates through four segments: Aggregates, Asphalt, Concrete, and Calcium. The company provides crushed stones, sand and gravel, sand, and other aggregates; and related products and services that are applied in construction and maintenance of highways, streets, and other public works, as well as in the construction of housing and commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities.